an inventory of all things handmade #ihavethisthingwithdiy

Whether you want to instill a love of exploration in your little one or you already have a child who wants to be an astronaut of sorts, whether you want to make a gift for someone or a decoration for yourself, check out this DIY solar system mobile! Since the planets are made of styrofoam balls, the whole thing is very lightweight. This means you can hang it in an array of places around the house, crib or no crib. And with a little movement from the air, it becomes mesmerizing enough to look at for minutes. Let’s move on to the making, shall we?

What you need:

styrofoam balls in two sizes

acrylic paint*

brushes

(optional) toothpicks

(optional) markers

(optional) plastic hooks

(metallic) circle

thread

scissors

* I opted for “realistic” colors such as blue, brown and gray. You can always include orange, red and yellow to make a more vibrant mobile

To make painting less messy, pierce a ball with a toothpick and use it as a handle. Paint the ball in a color of your choice and let dry completely. Once dry, add details using more paint or a marker. Repeat for all balls.

Pierce the ball with a plastic hook. Next, pass a thread through the hole of the hook. If you couldn’t find such hooks, you can simply thread a needle and go all through the ball, knotting at one end.

Take two long pieces of embroidery floss or string and knot them to opposite sides of the metallic circle. The two strings should be crossing. Use this to hang the mobile wherever you want.

Next, tie each “planet” to the metallic circles, hanging them at different lengths.